Wakefield, MA, October 5, 2006 - As corporations create more search marketing jobs, they need their own focused network in which to trade ideas and get educational support, says the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) which announced today a stepped up initiative to help corporate search marketers share best practices in the field.

SEMPO's In-House search engine marketing (SEM) Committee, newly formed in the past year, is dedicated to helping in-house search marketers become more powerful in their approach to management and more knowledgeable about the intricacies of SEM tools such as web analytics, says Duane Forrester, committee co-chair. Forrester is manager of search marketing for SportsDirect, Inc., which operates Covers.com, a sports news and information website.

"Corporate search marketers need help in convincing executives about budget needs, in determining the right skill set for hiring search marketing personnel, in creating an SEM department from the ground up," he says.

"We also want to help people who are transitioning from bricks and mortar marketing to online marketing. There is a great educational need for people like myself, who basically are learning these tools on the job," says Forrester. SEMPO committee members, including Forrester, are participating in search engine forums where hundreds of people are signing up to learn SEM. Forrester's committee is also working with SEMPO's Education Committee on new programs that will benefit in-house marketers.

In-house marketers can have access to the full range of SEMPO services by joining either as individual or corporate memberships. Individual memberships start at $299, Forrester says, and SEMPO is also recruiting members for active participation in its in-house committee, which develops and implements initiatives.

SEMPO has launched a discussion board on which in-house members can trade information and ideas. It also plans more networking events dedicated to in-house marketers in which they can share best practices. At the recent Search Engine Strategies show in San Jose, SEMPO hosted the first such event. "We were quite stunned by the impressive turnout of over 60 participants, representing some of the leading Fortune 500 brands. It was an indication that in-house search marketers are ready to be heard as one voice," Forrester says.

Dynamic Profession

While in-house search jobs are growing, Forrester says it's important to note the entire search marketing profession - in house and agency - is showing healthy growth. According to the latest SEMPO survey, advertisers in the U.S. and Canada spent $5.75 billion on search engine marketing in 2005, a 44 percent increase over 2004 spending. The survey, which drew 553 respondents, projects SEM spending in North America to reach $11 billion in 2010. In Q4 2006, SEMPO will begin updating its survey.

Jupiter Research statistics indicate 63 percent of large search marketers outsource at least one SEM function to agencies.

"It is hard to find people within corporations that have search experience. When you buy a bid tool you have to have systems in place to utilize it. Agencies have the expertise, technology and relationship with the engines. They can get things done," says Carrie Bolton, a SEMPO member and Director, Interactive Marketing, for GMAC Mortgage, based in Horsham, PA. GMAC uses a search marketing firm for paid and natural search campaigns.

"Agencies are out there in the thick of it. They see what is coming on the horizon. They need to be competitive so their street intelligence is really good," says Bolton. "I see agencies always having a major role if you have a large search budget to manage."

About the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO)SEMPO is a global non-profit organization serving the search engine marketing industry and marketing professionals engaged in it. Its purpose is to provide a foundation for industry growth through building stronger relationships, fostering awareness, providing education, promoting the industry, generating research, and creating a better understanding of search and its role in marketing. SEMPO represents the common interests of more than 450 companies and consultants worldwide and provides them with a voice in the marketplace.